The present invention relates generally to food trays, and more particularly to food trays having selectively deployable condiment compartments.
Finger foods, such as chicken nuggets, popcorn shrimp, french fries, and onion rings, are often served in paperboard trays. These trays have flat bottom walls and side walls that extend upwardly therefrom at an angle to define a top opening larger than the bottom wall. In the interest of space efficiency, these trays are preferably stackable or nestable so that one tray fits inside another tray. This allows large stacks of trays to be shipped and stored in a relatively small space until needed.
Many of the above foods are frequently eaten with condiments such as ketchup, cocktail sauce, and barbeque sauce. Since these foods are often eaten with one""s fingers, a person typically holds a food item in his fingers and dips it into a condiment. When eating in a sit-down restaurant, the condiment may be dispensed directly into the paperboard tray next to or on top of the food product, or a tub of the condiment can be placed on a table next to the consumer. When consuming such products in an automobile or while walking, however, the option of using a tub of condiment becomes more difficult. Furthermore, because semi-liquid condiments tend to run, it is difficult to keep the condiments and food products separate, and a user is often left with some products that are substantially covered with condiment and with condiment spread over the entire bottom wall of the container. The more the container is moved during use, the more the condiment is likely to move.
Fast food containers having a condiment compartment, such as the one shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,126,261 for xe2x80x9cDisposable Food Tray With Condiment Containerxe2x80x9d issued to Cook on Nov. 21, 1978, are known in the prior art. However, in the first embodiment of the invention shown in the ""261 patent, a condiment holder must be formed from a separate piece of material and then affixed to the main container, resulting in increased assembly costs. In the second embodiment of the invention shown in the ""261 patent, the condiment holder is made from the same blank as the tray, but produces a finished product that is not stackable.
It would therefore be desirable to produce a stackable tray having an integral condiment compartment formed from a unitary blank of material.
These problems and others are addressed by the present invention which comprises a novel tray structure that is stackable and nestable and that includes one or more fold-out walls that form at least one compartment for holding a condiment substantially separate from a food product. The invention also comprises a unitary blank for making such a tray which blank is cut form a sheet of stock material in a manner that makes efficient use of the material, minimizes waste, and provides for an accurate assembly of the food tray.
According to the invention, a tray includes a movable wall or panel foldable between a first position flush with one or more sidewalls of the tray and a second position spaced apart from the one or more sidewalls to define a compartment between the sidewalls and the movable wall. This arrangement allows trays to be stacked and nested when the movable wall is in a stowed position flush with a side wall. When the condiment compartment is in its stowed position, the trays can also be used in the same manner as ordinary trays. To use the condiment compartment, it is merely necessary to flip the wall inwardly from the sidewall. The flexibility of the wall allows the wall to be shifted with very little effort.
In a first embodiment of the invention, the condiment compartment is formed across a corner of the tray and connected to two adjacent tray sidewalls. When flipped open into a deployed position, a pyramidal condiment compartment is formed in one corner of the tray.
In a second embodiment, a movable wall is formed between two parallel sidewalls of the tray. When flipped open, the wall defines a compartment spanning the length or width of the rectangular tray between the movable wall and one of the tray sidewalls.
In a third embodiment, the tray includes two condiment compartments along opposite sides of the rectangular compartment each formed by a moveable wall.
In a fourth embodiment, the tray is formed much like the tray of the second embodiment but the top edge of one tray wall and the top edge of the movable wall forming the condiment compartment have curved portions to provide for an increased gripping surface.
It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide a stackable container having an interior wall that can be deployed to form an interior compartment.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a stackable container having a secondary compartment formed from a unitary blank of material.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a stackable food tray having a selectively deployable condiment compartment.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a food tray having a deployable corner compartment.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a stackable food tray having a condiment compartment that is shiftable between a use and a storage position.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a unitary blank for forming a food tray having the above characteristics.
These features and advantages will be better appreciated and understood by those skilled in the art after reading the following detailed description of several preferred embodiments of the invention in connection with the drawings and appended claims.